Part 1926 of Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) contains extensive, detailed, and sometimes stringent safety and health regulations pertaining to protecting the safety and health of construction workers. The regulations set forth in 29 C.F.R. 1926 are promulgated and enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA has the authority to levy stiff fines for failure to comply with 29 C.F.R. Part 1926.
The present invention is directed toward promoting compliance with 29 C.F.R. .sctn. 1926.051(a), which pertains to providing and maintaining potable water for construction workers, and such other applicable regulations as may be promulgated from time to time. 29 C.F.R. .sctn. 1926.051(a) provides:
(1) An adequate supply of potable water shall be provided in all places of employment.
(2) Portable containers used to dispense drinking water shall be capable of being tightly closed, and equipped with a tap. Water shall not be dipped from containers.
(3) Any container used to distribute drinking water shall be clearly marked as to the nature of its contents and not used for any other purpose.
(4) The common drinking cup is prohibited.
(5) Where single service cups (to be used but once) are supplied, both a sanitary container for the unused cups and a receptacle for disposing of the used cups shall be provided.
(6) Potable water means water which meets the quality standards prescribed in the U.S. Public Health Service Drinking Water Standards, published in 42 C.F.R. part 72, or water which is approved for drinking purposes by the State or local authority having jurisdiction.
In order to comply with 29 C.F.R. 1926.51(a), as well as for practical reasons, most drinking water on construction sites is provided in conventional insulated water coolers. Such coolers have a spigot-type tap located near the bottom of the cooler, and a large opening on the top of the cooler. The large opening makes the coolers easy to clean and easy to fill with ice and potable water. After the cooler has been filled with potable water, the large opening can be tightly sealed with a lid, which is usually a screw cap lid. When properly cleaned, filled with potable water, and sealed with the screw cap lid, such coolers provide a convenient source of potable water which complies with 29 C.F.R. 1926.51(a).
However, a problem which frequently occurs on construction sites is that workers remove the screw cap lids. This can be accomplished simply by unscrewing the lid. Workers open the lids to grab pieces of ice, dip cups into the water, stick their arms into the ice water to cool off, and even to place beverage containers, such as cans of soda or beer, in the water cooler. These activities, if discovered by OSHA, often lead to heavy fines being imposed on the employer. A large construction site or a large industrial site, such as a manufacturing plant, may require several hundred coolers on a daily basis, greatly increasing the chance that at least some of the coolers will be opened and tampered with.
Several methods are presently being used in an effort to prevent construction workers from opening water cooler lids. One method is to instruct workers not to open the lids. Such instructions typically include a warning that a worker caught opening a lid will be discharged. However, such instructions and warnings have been largely unsuccessful in preventing workers from opening lids. Another method is to place the coolers on raised stands so that it is difficult for workers to reach and open the lids. A major drawback of this method is that the coolers, which may weigh over a hundred pounds when filled with potable water, are difficult to lift onto the stands. Additionally, because ladders and other structures are readily available on construction sites, workers can improvise ways of accessing the lid.
Perhaps the most successful method presently in use is to tape the lids onto the water coolers with duct tape. Duct tape is readily available in retail stores and is commonly used for a variety of household and industrial purposes. Duct tape is strong, inexpensive, and is sold in wide widths, all of which make it ideal for the task of sealing a large number of water coolers on a daily basis. Although the use of duct tape makes it more difficult to open lids, workers continue to open lids. Because duct tape is readily available on the open market, including in retail stores such as hardware stores and supermarkets, workers can hide the evidence of tampering merely by re-taping the lid onto the cooler with new duct tape. Additionally, the duct tape is not imprinted with a warning label, and therefore does not serve to clearly mark the water cooler as to the nature of its contents, as required by 29 C.F.R. .sctn. 1926.51(c). Because large numbers of coolers must be cleaned, filled, and taped daily in a short period of time, it is not practical to write warning labels on the duct tape.
As far as is known, no patents have been directed to solutions for solving the problem of maintaining potable water on construction sites.
Additionally, as far as is known, labeling systems have not been provided for labeling and recording the labeling of potable water coolers.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method for preserving the potability of water on construction sites, manufacturing plants, and other industrial and commercial settings, and to thereby promote compliance with 29 C.F.R. .sctn. 1926.51(a) and other applicable regulations.